DOVE expands to help Chinese survivors of partner abuse

DOVE, Inc. recently received funding from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to build tailored services for survivors of partner violence who are Chinese or of Chinese descent.

DOVE is in the process of hiring a Chinese advocacy & outreach coordinator, who will work with community service providers and colleagues, as well as with DOVE staff, to build bridges to ensure that survivors can get needed assistance. The recent charge of a Quincy resident, Yan Long Chow, with first degree murder of his ex-wife, Zhen Li, at their home in Wollaston last September served as a testament to the need for such bridges.

DOVE, which serves to help victims of domestic violence in Norfolk County, is taking guidance from Quincy Asian Resources to reach community members who know and trust QARI as a resource. DOVE intends to listen to community members’ feedback about the barriers for Chinese survivors, and recommendations about how DOVE can best help individuals and Chinese communities.

DOVE also will work with Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center’s Quincy office, South Cove and Manet Community Health Centers, and area churches and other groups to provide information and education about partner abuse. Simultaneously, the Chinese advocacy & outreach coordinator will work with DOVE to strengthen knowledge, policies and practices in an effort to grow trust and relationship with the Chinese community and create culturally responsive and affirming services for adult survivors and their children.

Approximately 33 percent of women and 28 percent of men in America have been victims of physical violence by an intimate partner, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Among Asian women, 41 to 61 percent report experiencing physical or sexual violence by an intimate partner during their lifetime. This is higher than the rates in a national study reported by whites, 21.3 percent; African Americans, 26.3 percent; Hispanics of any race, 21.2 percent; people of mixed race, 27 percent; and American Indians and Alaskan Natives, 30.7 percent. Twenty-four percent of the Chinese survey participants in a survey conducted for the Asian Family Violence Report said they knew woman who had been abused.

In terms of recommendations on where survivors should go for help, respondents suggested the police, 52 percent; a shelter, 36 percent; friends 37 percent; or family members, 36 percent. For complex reasons, Chinese communities are often reluctant to reach out to law enforcement or formal service providers for help. Nonetheless, Asian Family Violence survey responses provide insight into the types of services that can be utilized most by the community for assistance with partner abuse.